Home sweet home for Fresno City in dominating quarterfinals win

CCCAA State Quarterfinals
Match #3
Fresno City d. San Diego Mesa, 25-23, 25-16, 25-11
San Diego Mesa finishes tied for 5th at the state tourney

(FRESNO) -- It took 30 wins for the North #3 seed Fresno City College to reach its goal of making it to its Central Valley Conference-hosted CCCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. The Rams made the most of playing before a large crowd at the FCC gym Friday night in pounding South #2 San Diego Mesa, 25-23, 25-16, 25-11, in a state quarterfinal. 

Unlike the closeness of the first two sweeps recorded by North teams earlier in the day, Fresno (31-3) revved up its engines as its play got smoother and more efficient from set to set. 

Mesa (22-5) pushed the Rams in the opening set, and held a 22-21 lead after a combined block by All-SoCal Region players Hailey Henderson and Maddie Harris and a FCC attack error. But Fresno played to the urging of its home fans (many red t-shirts filled the stands) as setter Julia Pagani set four consecutive kills, two by Shelby Saporetti that closed out a 2-point win. 

In set 2, the Rams led 7-3, then 10-8 before going on a 10-5 spurt capped on a thundering bomb from All-American Diamond'Nique Young. Claire Corippo, who had six kills in the opening set, floored two more kills as Fresno scored a 9-point set 2 victory. 

Fresno never got tested in the third with Julia Pagani serving a 6-0 run to open the set. Fittingly, twin sister Lexi Pagani ripped match point on a set by Julia to finish off the sweep. Fresno has won 24 consecutive sets since losing to Feather River on Oct. 23. 

Julia Pagani totaled 37 assists and served three aces as she spread the wealth for Lexi Pagani (13 kills, .346), Corippo (11 kills, .400), Sayda Taylor (10 kills, .471) and Young (nine kills). Defensively, Ali Santoyo made 13 digs and both Lexi Pagani and Corippo had 10 digs. Fresno hit .305 as a team, but got better as the match wore on with a .345 in the second and a .385 attack in the third game.

For the Olympians, Maddie Harris was a brightspot on eight kills in just 12 attempts (.583). Bakken made five assisted blocks but the Bakken-Henderson duo was limited to a combined five kills in 28 attempts.

"We were a little inconsistent in our serving in the first set," said Fresno head coach Kieran Roblee. "But Julia Pagani did a really great job at spreading the offense with transiton sets to our middles while getting the ball to both of our outsides. We like to stay in a steady flow. Corippo stepped up."

When asked if it helped the players playing before a mostly home crowd on their home gym, Roblee said: "I sure hope so. You would think that's what any team would want to have the opportunity to play for a state title on your home floor."

Fresno plays the winner of tonight's Feather River v. Canyons match in the state semifinals Saturday at 5 p.m.

Release by Robert Lewis, CCCAA/CCCWVCA State Championship SID